Growing Opportunities (Part 3)

Career Opportunities

 

I'm always amazed at how many young people get so selective when looking for a summer job. It "boggles my mind" when I hear a young person say, "But I don't WANT to work at a fast food restaurant!" or "I don't WANT to mow yards!".

Even worse? An adult that will say pretty much the same thing while whining and complaining about not having a job.

OPPORTUNITIES come across our path each and every day. Sometimes they are BIG opportunities but, often, they are smaller opportunities that many of us either ignore or never pay attention to in the first place.

This seems to be true in this area of job or career opportunities. Just like I mentioned in the last article concerning how too many are waiting for the lottery jackpot to fall into their lap, so it is with too many waiting for their "dream job" to suddenly appear.

Remember, small opportunities can grow into big opportunities over time. (If you haven't read the last couple of articles, you really need to do that in order to be "on the same page" with me as I continue those thoughts in today's article).

Do a little research and find out how many people at the TOP of some companies began their journey at the very BOTTOM of that same company. They started "small", stuck with it and worked hard as they worded their way UP into a "larger" and better opportunity.

You never know what can come out of an opportunity to work. So what if it's not your "dream" job? You never know WHO you may meet along the way of working a job and you never know where that particular job may take you. You may find your "dream" job WITHIN this company by starting off with a "smaller" job opportunity.

We want it all NOW!

It's very similar to young couples getting married and wanting to move into a big house with nice furniture, etc. just like their parents had when they grew up. They don't realize that their parents worked YEARS to gain those things.

We live in an "instant" society and it spills over into our idea of work and employment.

GROW those opportunities that come your way! Don't ignore them and don't let them pass you by!

20/20 hindsight kicks me often about such situations. But, I can't go back - YOU can't go back - and relive the past. I (and you) must learn from the mistake of letting opportunities pass us by and be DETERMINED to not let that happen again.

The only way that happens is to KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN for those opportunities. I think they cross our path more often than we realize.

See what happens when you allow yourself to do what it takes to GROW those opportunities. I think you may very well surprise yourself!

And, as you watch, apply and grow them, always be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

*If you have ANY problems with ANY of these links, please let me know: mike@futureyouuniversity.com

 

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Growing Opportunities - Part 2

Financial Opportunity - Part 2

 

 

You know what the "snowball effect" is, right?

 

The idea that a snowball, rolling downhill, gets more and more snow attached to it so that, when it reaches the bottom of the hill, it has increased in size dramatically.

We'll apply that to jobs and careers in the next article but, for today, we're going to apply the SNOWBALL EFFECT to opportunities with MONEY.

We ended the last article talking about people complaining that they don't have enough money or that they have no way to pay off debt or save any money for the future.

In RARE instances, that may be true. But I'm talking RARE.

More than likely you do not fit into that category and you DO have ways to pay off debt AND save money for the future.

The #1 thing you must do with this is to TAKE AN HONEST ACCOUNT of what is going on with your money. Notice that I said, "honest". Hey, listen, you can lie to yourself if you want but, friend, it's not going to help you and it's not going to change your situation. As a matter of fact, your situation will likely worsen due to your lack of honesty in this area.

*Ouch!*

Hey, it's time to get real here! You MUST be honest when looking at your money and where it is going. "Disappearing" is probably more like what seems to be happening, right?

Again, first and foremost you MUST stop paying money to everyone else (along with the high interest rates) through credit card payments, car payments, furniture rental, etc. No, I don't mean just stop paying. Get this debt paid off as quickly as possible so that you don't HAVE to pay!

"But Mike, how do I do that? I'm broke!"

Sure, you can go get another job but, friend, that's not really going to change anything because you will spend or waste that money as well. THAT'S A FACT! Yes, I do understand that there are SOME exceptions and that SOME people would actually apply that extra money the way that needs to be done. But, honestly, that likely is not you!

What can you do - TODAY - to save money that will not require you to work extra time or at an extra job?

1. STOP SMOKING! The average price of a pack (1 pack!) of cigarettes in the United States is $5.51 per pack. In a week, at ONLY 1 pack/day (I emphasize only because most smoke MORE than 1 pack per day) that comes up to $38.75 and, in a month, it comes up to a little over $150.  Oh, and in a year, just by smoking 1 pack of cigarettes a day, you have watched a little over $2,000 go up in smoke!

2. STOP EATING OUT SO MUCH! Oh, I know, I know...you're rushed and you HAVE to do that. No, you don't! I'm not saying that you have to stop eating out completely but, c'mon, how serious are you about this whole money thing? OPPORTUNITY is right in front of your face when you consider how much $$ you spend eating out over the course of a week. YOU do the math!

3. JUNK FOOD! Add it up yourself and see how much of your overall grocery bill is junk (chips, cookies and other sweets, soda, etc). Do you have to cut them out completely? No, but, I can almost promise you that you can cut out at least 90% of it right now.

I could go on and on on things that you could cut out of your budget. I haven't even started on your entertainment costs and how much you're paying just to watch television. But, hey, you might want to take a look at that as well.

All of those "small" things SNOWBALL into BIG EXPENSE for your wallet and, a lot of those listed also create a BIG EXPENSE on your health!

If you would do even those 3 things listed (or, if you don't smoke....find something else to replace it, like alcohol or the entertainment I mentioned), you will see how much extra money you will have to start applying toward some of your debt! And, all without having to get another job.

Small opportunities GROWING (the "snowball effect") into BIGGER opportunities!

What if you could do something and bring in just an extra $10 per week. Believe it or not, most people won't even consider something like that because "it's ONLY $10 per week".  But, listen, that extra $10 per week (without any kind of interest added to it) turns into an extra $40 per month, $520 per year and, after 5 years, it will bring you an extra $2,600!!

 

Small things that, done consistently, can and WILL become BIG things due to the "snowball effect" with your finances.

 

As always, this is up to YOU to make happen. It's not easy but, friend, if you are always short of money and have a lot of debt, consider it a NECESSITY.

 

Next, we apply this "snowball effect" to job opportunities.

 

Until then, always be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

 

(Note: if at any time, ANY of the links below do not work, be sure to contact me at mike@futureyouuniversity.com )

 

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Growing Opportunities - Part 1

 

Financial Opportunity - Part 1

 

As we discussed in the last article, opportunity is around us each day that we are alive. Sometimes we see it, sometimes we don't. And, there are even times that we see it but, for whatever reason, we still don't take advantage of that opportunity.

 

In this article, and the one to follow, we're going to take a look at growing FINANCIAL opportunities that are available to us on a daily basis. Then, we're going to apply those same principles to growing CAREER opportunities that are available to us as well.

 

First of all, too many people are waiting for that BIG opportunity to fall into their lap and ignore smaller opportunities that cross their path every day. Too many are waiting for the lottery to come their way and, waste away day after day and dollar after dollar chasing this big "dream".

 

I'm sure, like me, you've heard and/or read stories about school teachers that retired very wealthy. It was NOT because they got some HUGE award or MAJOR raise along the way. No, it was because they took advantage of the "little opportunities" that came their way to put away some of their paycheck for the future.

 

Some of you already don't like where this is headed and, friend, that is a problem. Too many people whine and complain about not having enough money and yet don't want to hear ANYTHING about cutting back or saving money in order to grow their earnings.

 

I once new an older gentleman that was not ashamed to stoop over and pick up pennies. Here's the contrast: the pennies were being thrown out on the car lot by a younger man that said he was "feeding the lot so that the lot would feed him". Stupid. This was a car sales lot where I worked at about fifteen years or so ago. The younger guy would throw out pennies every day and, from time to time the older gentleman would pick them up and put them in HIS pocket.

 

Did he get rich off of those pennies? No, but it was the MINDSET that he had that, I promise you, put him in a much better financial position than the fool throwing the pennies away on a daily basis.

 

If you've not done so, be sure to click on the link at the bottom of the page, fill in your information, and then read up on the information about how to become DEBT FREE. Removal of debt is the #1 way that most - if not all - of us can INCREASE our financial wealth without having to go out and get a second (or third) job.

 

Yet, too many won't do that. I'm not saying you have to buy the course. What I AM saying is that too many people do NOT want to change anything and, yet,  they whine that they don't have enough money.

 

We'll talk more about that in the next article but I did want to leave you with this information that I shared on the podcast. You can listen in to get some of the ideas there, but I'll share the link with you on how Dave Ramsey says that you can retire a millionaire by just setting back $35 a week. Go HERE to read it for yourself.

 

"But I don't have an extra $35 a week to set back!". Come back and, in the next article, I'll show you that you likely DO have that  - and MORE - available for you to set back for your FUTURE opportunities.

 

But it all begins with SMALL opportunities that are before us on a daily basis.

 

Until next time, whatever you do, always be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

 

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DAILY Opportunity

I read an article in a discussion forum earlier today entitled, "We Only Have One Opportunity in Life". There was a video attached and it was a good video featuring a very well-known man in the area of personal development.

 

That phrase WAS actually used in that video but, overall, the emphasis was about the fact that we have opportunities (plural) that come and go and that we have but one LIFE to live.

 

Now, I don't think the guy that wrote the article actually believed that there is only ONE opportunity in our life but, that's what the title read and, that being so, I felt the need to share my thoughts on the matter.

 

What did I say? "Absurd!"

 

Now, I was nice about it but I did want to make sure and point out that this idea was flawed. I did mention the things that I've already shared with you in this article in a way that didn't come across as an attack.

 

However, I wanted to be sure that ANYONE that read that article would NOT take it as fact.

 

Can you imagine believing that there was but ONE opportunity that comes our way in our life? What if you miss it? What then?

 

Friend, there are opportunities that come our way EVERY SINGLE DAY! That's one reason I specifically picked the graphic that you see above. Most of the graphics had the word, "opportunity" (singular) featured. But there are opportunities (plural) abundant in our life!

 

Sometimes we put too much emphasis on ONE opportunity missed. Sometimes we see people cry and bemoan the fact that they missed that opportunity and, in extreme situations, we actually see people take their own lives due to this fact.

 

That is really sad.

 

Yes, some opportunities are "bigger" than others but, friend, who is to say that there is not a "bigger" opportunity headed our way in the future?

 

Here's the deal: Live today with your eyes open for opportunity. Perhaps the opportunity to touch someones life with an act of kindness. Perhaps the opportunity to put a smile on the face of another. Perhaps opportunity in which you will never see the end result.

 

Every day. EVERY day.

 

And, friend, TODAY is one of those days! Take advantage of those opportunities that WILL come your way. And, as you do so, always be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

 

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Protect Your JOY

Oh, they're out there. No matter how "safe" you think you are, they are still out there and they are waiting to steal from you.

 

I'm talking about the people and the thoughts around you every single day that are out to steal your JOY.

 

Sometimes the thoughts are there because we have allowed them to be there. And, there are times that the thoughts are there because of people (joy robbers) that have been a part of putting them there.

 

Just as you lock your doors at night and maybe even set an alarm, so you should be as dedicated to protecting your mind and mindset from the negativity that would steal away your JOY.

 

The series that I just completed in the last podcast speaks to this very thing. There are things that we MUST be doing in order to keep focused on what CAN BE rather than what IS. Many times we allow our current circumstances (even if it's only an hour or two out of our day) to keep us from looking BEYOND what is, to what CAN be.

 

And, in the process, when we get "bogged down" in the struggles, we may lose our joy.

 

And, friend, let's just be real here for a moment, o.k.? There are also people that seem to get THEIR joy from stealing YOUR joy, right?

 

Some are acquaintances that cross your path most every day and then there are those that are supposed to be closest to you. The ones closest to you are the ones that seem to hurt the most because you feel (rightly so) that THEY are the ones that should be your strongest advocates instead of being some of the ones that try to steal your joy.

 

But friend, you can stop it and you can prevent it from happening. Yes, you can PROTECT your joy!

 

Unlike the graphic above, we cannot allow others to cause us to just "lock up tight" and "shut down". Too many simply stop living as a way to keep from getting hurt. In reality, that is a direct way that you are being hurt and allowing others to hurt you more than they should.

 

Protect your mind and your joy? Absolutely! But what is required is for you to guard your mind by what you allow INTO your mind. THIS is what determines your mindset.

 

Do you want to really stop "joy robbers" in their tracks? Be DETERMINED that you will not allow any one or anything to stop you from being joyful today! That's right. I know it may sound too simple or impossible but, friend, it is not!

 

I've shared with you before how my wife has faced such issues in the workplace but was determined to not allow this as part of her experience. She REFUSED to give in to that mindset and made a decision that SHE would have an impact on THEM instead.

 

And it has worked every time.

 

It's YOUR mind, YOUR mindset and YOUR joy. Protect it, preserve it and promote it and see what begins to happen in your life.

 

And, as you do so, always be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

 

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